Around the 2016 NHL trade deadline, fans were certain: the Vancouver Canucks rebuild on the fly is now a plain, full-on rebuild. But the Canucks hung on to Dan Hamhuis and Radim Vrbata. They had also traded prospect Hunter Shinkaruk for NHL center Markus Granlund. In the offseason, Jim Benning sent blue chip prospect Jared McCann, a second and a fourth-round pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Erik Gudbranson and a fifth.
So where is this going?
Benning does not have many secrets when it comes to his plans, but that does not mean they are easy to understand.